The newly hooked up RV spots at the Y's Acres camp was nearly at full capacity this last week. We had 5 spots filled with RV Caravanners from Michigan, Minnesota, eh, and South Carolina joining us for two weeks of work building simple, decent homes with habitat of Tuscaloosa. Additionally, we had a group of college kids drive 16 hours from Fort Hays, Kansas to spend their winter break with us doing the same. This past week was the worst weather that we've had in the year and a half that Ive been here. Monday thru Wednesday, a cold wet rain all day long and on Thursday it turned in to big snow flakes for three or four hours in the morning, just long enough for the snow to stick to the roads. there were about twenty fender benders during those few hours. People around here, I guess, don't get much practice driving in the snow. The kids from Fort Hays State Univ. though had such beautiful and serving hearts and weren't slowed down in their enthusiasm to help out. Stephen Scott, one of our site supervisors, was really depressed with the weather, but still managed to keep all twenty students busy working inside Brenda Anthony's soon to be new home, installing bamboo flooring, ceramic tile, doors and trim, etc. and learning skills that they will be able to use on their own homes one day, while at the same time helping out someone who normally would not have been able to afford her own home the traditional way.   And meet lots of new people.   Win, win, win.
     The RV Caravanners found us through the website . These are a group of volunteers, most of whom have class A RV's and travel around the country working with Habitat affilitates. We are blessed with four this week. Lavern and Sue are from Michigan. Both are in their early 80's but in good health and a joy to work with. Jack and his wife Cybil are from Minnesota. Jack's 75 and I didn't ask Cybils age. Warren is a widow whose wife passed away in 2006 and from that time has been caravanning around working with Habitat. He is in his 80's also, although I would have guessed 60's.
      I invited both groups, on different nights over to the Lion's Den for dinner and conversation and trading of stories. The Lion's Den is a two room building that I restored and moved in this past Christmas. These two dinners that were held has been the reason and purpose for me spending time and dollars in the restoration of it. I want it to serve as a meeting place for the volunteers who come to visit and work with us.
      Finally, a new expression that I just heard for the first time and have adopted as my own- Everyone that you meet knows something that you don't. This is one of the greatest parts of my mission here- meeting people from all over.
      That's all for this week-   Love,   Peter